Going the Spyder way!

[BadFish]

Hello I'm 26yo guy from Norther Michigan. I am now buying my first spyderco and I wanted some opinions on which knife would be best. I'm fishing 24/7 and a lot of it is wading shore fishing kayaking. I kayak also and live on lake michigan so around boats a lot. I will say i bought a spyderco ladybug h-1 and I lost it. I need something with a clip and relatively lower end priced since its gonna be used a lot!


Any help is appreciated but lemme tell you this, I'm hooked on spyderco and this will be start of my collection for years to come.


edit. I'd like the blade to be under 4 and above 3. The ladybug i had before felt to small

What are some reputable dealers I can also go through or is there a section on the forums that has all this info?

[Minibear453]

I'd suggest an H1 knife. Maybe a pacific salt, or the atlantic salt? Or possibly a dragonfly, depending on the length you want.

[HighDesertSpyder]

Pacific Salt H1 steel is the perfect fit. Price point is under 60.00 shipped if you shop it. Available in an easy to find (understatement) yellow, or black handle. I am a Pac Salt owner and would reccomend! :spyder:
pm for best price found on internet if interested

[BadFish]

I've left you a reply and looked into the pacific salt h1. I saw on ebay (Not were i intend to purchase) an all black one (black blade) I was very interested in this and is this item found at a reputable store or is it a fake?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spyderco-Pacifi ... 5643837708

[BadFish]

Alright I've pm'd you and looked into the pacific salt h1.

[jabba359]

What are some reputable dealers I can also go through or is there a section on the forums that has all this info?

No section on the forums, but good dealers have been discussed on various occasions (you can read the most recent thread here if you want). While I may be uncool for quoting myself, it saves me some retyping:

As mentioned, prices may range a little bit, but all the dealers above are good people to deal with and have good reputations...here's a recap of some I've used so far and that others have listed (with common forum shorthand/owners in parenthesis). I've included links to the websites for your convenience.

Cutlery Shoppe (CS/Jeff)*
New Graham (NGK)
Spydercovt (Tom/Catamount)
Howe's Knife Shop
Knife Center (KC)*
Knifeworks (KW/Roger)
Grand Prairie Knives (GPK)*
Poor Fish (also on eBay)*
Bento Box Shop (BBS)**
Spydietalk (Mike)*
Sierra Trading Post (STP)* (I don't think they're a dealer, but when Spyderco discontinues knives, they have some great deals here + sign up for the newsletter and they almost always have an additional 25-35% off coupon code)
Warriors and Wonders (Canada)

*stores I've personally bought from before
**I haven't bought here yet, but have a preorder in that's due next year

[BadFish]

I ended up picking up a tenacious from poor fish. I know its not the h1 steel but, this will be my trial run to make sure I can take care of the knife.

[Evil D]

Anything in H1 steel would be ideal for what you need.

[pmbspyder]

make the next one serrated edge h1 steel...you won't regret it...

[Evil D]

make the next one serrated edge h1 steel...you won't regret it...

I've been thinking a lot about H1 lately, and though i'm normally a diehard plain edge guy, i think a big Military sized combo edge H1 knife would be pretty cool, just based on the crazy edge retention of H1 serrations. It would just have to be long enough to have a significant amount of serrations.

[A.P.F.]

Pacific Salt.

[Chris_H]

I ended up picking up a tenacious from poor fish. I know its not the h1 steel but, this will be my trial run to make sure I can take care of the knife.

This seems contradictory to your stated needs. In wet environments, the Spyderco Salt series will be easier to maintain than any other knife in their line-up.

Salt series knives have rust-proof blades, highly rust and corrosion resistant fasteners and clip, NO liners, and FRN handles. The Tenacious will require much more maintenance to keep it pristine compared to a Salt. The only advantage the Tenacious has is price -- but in my thinking, you're getting what you pay for.

[Donut]

There is a guy on the forum who works on a commercial fishing boat that uses a Byrd serrated sheepsfoot knife and he swears by it. I think with regular use, wiping it down after use, and regular sharpening it will be an excellent choice for you. One positive thing about a liner lock is that it is easily cleanable and you don't have to take it apart to clean.

[The Mentaculous]

I'd definitely agree with the Pacific Salt (or Salt 1 if almost 4" is too big), in serrated edge. I think the serrated edge is better because it holds a much better edge on H-1 knives and it is much better for cutting rope/cord/line, pruning twigs, etc.

[BadFish]

This seems contradictory to your stated needs. In wet environments, the Spyderco Salt series will be easier to maintain than any other knife in their line-up.

Salt series knives have rust-proof blades, highly rust and corrosion resistant fasteners and clip, NO liners, and FRN handles. The Tenacious will require much more maintenance to keep it pristine compared to a Salt. The only advantage the Tenacious has is price -- but in my thinking, you're getting what you pay for.

Hi Chris thanks for the reply. The salt series is what I really need, but I'm really bad with knives (losing them misplacing them) I decided to go with the lowest end spyder as one of my first good knives and its gonna be a practice run to make sure i can treat this one as good as a h1 needs to be treated.

[Chris_H]

There is a guy on the forum who works on a commercial fishing boat that uses a Byrd serrated sheepsfoot knife and he swears by it. I think with regular use, wiping it down after use, and regular sharpening it will be an excellent choice for you. One positive thing about a liner lock is that it is easily cleanable and you don't have to take it apart to clean.

With the Byrd is there any skeletonizing in the interior? While the open construction of some liner locks is a benefit to clearing/cleaning out, I've also seen examples of rusting on the inside of liners where water/moisture apparently became trapped. With no liners and FRN, it just seems there is even less chance of rust or corrosion occurring.

Hi Chris thanks for the reply. The salt series is what I really need, but I'm really bad with knives (losing them misplacing them) I decided to go with the lowest end spyder as one of my first good knives and its gonna be a practice run to make sure i can treat this one as good as a h1 needs to be treated.

Hey, that's cool. Seeing you've got other criteria for your choice helps me understand your decision more. The Tenacious is a very good knife anyway, so enjoy the new :spyder: !

[SolidState]

For future reference, Howe's Knife Shop is a Michigan Spyderco Dealer.

Yoopers rule.

[phaust]

8cr13mov has pretty nice rust resistance anyway. Salts are nice but not necessary--IMO of course.

[lamorak]

If you can still find one, as they are getting discontinued, a Caspian Salt might be something to look at. As a fixed blade if you are not using it you'll have it on your belt or PFD. Much harder to lose :)

[Jesting Devil]

How about the Salt 1? A bit less expensive than the Pac Salt and I prefer the size. I have both that and a Dragonfly so I can definitely say it feels larger and quite nice in the hand and has a much more secure pocket clip as well (harder to lose )

While SE H1 is amazing from what I've heard, the PE is just fine for me and if you can sharpen your own knives, it takes a wicked edge really fast.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the 8cr steel in the Byrd line for an around the water knife unless you want to spend a lot of time taking care of it. I only have experience with one tenacious so I can't say much but I did see it getting rust spots from being carried on a humid sweaty day wiped off pretty easily but the same conditions have never bothered VG10 (and NOTHING bothers H1!) :D

The Salt 1 was my first :spyder: and it's the one knife that never leaves my side! Admittedly this could make me biased but I think it would really fit your needs quite well. Good luck and welcome to Spyderco! :)